Keller Doesn’t Travel to Buffalo Along With Lankster & Schilens

Chaz Schilens, Ellis Lankster and Dustin Keller all didn’t take the team flight to Buffalo because of their own injuries that will keep them out of the last game of the season.

Lankster will be back next year as the team’s third or fourth cornerback, but Schilens was on a one-year deal and Keller of course is facing free agency now coming out of his rookie deal. Going into the season, a lot rode on Keller’s season and 2012 had to be a major disappointment for Keller as he suffered through injuries all year. Keller was only able to play in eight games and some of those he even did so while still trying to recover. Keller ended the season with just 28 receptions, for 317 yards and two scores. 2012 was a low point for Keller in every statistical aspect save one: Keller ran a 77% catch rate this season, outstripping anything he’d done in his other four years.

From here, we’ll see what happens. Keller was a favorite target of Sanchez, and as we all know, Sanchez might well be back in 2013. Unless Keller is willing to take very little in the first year of his deal (a la Santonio in 2010) there’s really no way the Jets can afford to bring him back — even as a franchisee. Keller has expressed his desire to not be franchised by the Jets and we’ll just have to wait and see how everything proceeds from here.